Plot Twist
by Kutie192
Summary: He said he would stay by her side, no matter what. That promise became a blessing, but a curse as well. Words are powerful tools, but sometimes words aren't enough. Even still, Fakir and Ahiru muddle through their daily lives.


**_Hey there readers! Long time no see! So recently I was reminded of my love for Princess Tutu; it's definitely one of my favorites! It's been a while since I've written a fanfic. Let's see if I've gotten any better. Enjoy and comment? Please and thank you. Oh, and if you haven't finished the anime, there are some SPOILERS. Ok, that's all. :3_**

It was a dream and Fakir knew it. Even still he let himself revel in the familiarity. He opened his eyes, in the dream at least, to a very fuzzy world that somewhat resembled his bedroom, based on the colors and vague shapes. The only thing that was vivid was the curtain of red beside him. His eyes took in the long, red hair that lay covering the scrawny sleeper that was wearing his too-large shirt as a nightgown. This was the part he loved, seeing her sleeping peacefully, her long eyelashes fluttering near her freckles.

He wanted to fight back the urge to speak, but the pull of the dream was too great and he felt his lips and voice forming the word before he could stop it:

"Ahiru." He wished she'd stay asleep, just a moment longer, but now his bliss was at an end. There was nothing to do but brace himself for the inevitable pain. Fakir watched as his gentle call caused Ahiru's eyes to flutter open and she dreamily uttered that one heartbreaking word.

"Mytho?" In that instant everything faded to black. There was no girl, no room, and no earth. Fakir felt as if he was falling with a fiery pain ripping through his chest. He briefly wondered if his fate of being sliced in two by the raven would hurt less.

Much to his relief, the alarm went off, ringing with all its might long enough to wake him from the damning dream. He reached over to turn it off but it stopped on its own not a second later, and instead his hand met something soft. Fakir looked over to see a yellow duck with one stray feather sticking up on her head standing on his nightstand, and her wing silencing the alarm with his hand placed on top of it.

Ahiru was still a duck, and she still wasn't his.

Her bill moved into a smile and her blue eyes shone with kindness. "Quack," she greeted.

"…Morning," Fakir mumbled, still reeling from his unfortunate dream. He stood, patting Ahiru's head in passing as he made his way to the bathroom. He looked at his reflection in the mirror for a moment before turning on the hot water and dousing his face, hoping to wash away the remnants of his nightmare. When he looked back up, there on the counter was Ahiru with a blue, fluffy face towel in her bill.

Fakir couldn't help the small smile that tugged at his lips. He'd once promised that he'd always be by her side. However, it seemed that most times, she was the one always by his… and he wouldn't have it any other way.

* * *

Fakir hated fate more than anything in the whole world. He wasn't sure why since it had nothing to do with him. Perhaps that was why. He knew that Ahiru's fate, or rather Princess Tutu's fate was not connected to Mytho the way she'd wanted. She knew it all too well, and still smiled when Mytho chose Rue as his princess. Fakir knew Ahiru was happy for them, that's just the kind of person she was, but what about what's left over? The former knight knew her feelings for the prince wouldn't just disappear, and he knew he was still on the duckling's mind. It seemed that there was no room left for him.

The story said the prince and Tutu weren't meant to be…but what about the knight? It never mentioned if he got a happily ever after. He was supposed to be dead! But he was alive… and could sympathize with Ahiru's feeling of unrequited love.

"Quack QUACK!" Fakir was brought out of his breakfast musings as Ahiru somehow managed to overturn his bowl of lukewarm porridge onto herself. Well, at least some things never changed.

"Idiot," Fakir found himself murmuring. _Just like old times._ With a sigh he picked up the dirty duck to wash her in the kitchen sink. "What am I going to do with you?" In response, Ahiru stuck her tongue out of her beak in rebellion before the flow of water and soap proceeded to wash her clean.

"Quack."

Summer in Kinkan meant that Fakir didn't have classes to occupy his time. Aside from a daily dance rehearsal to make sure his ballet didn't get rusty, the knight found himself spending a lot more time at his writing desk.

After his first dozen failed attempts at writing to turn Ahiru back into a human, he'd used writing solely for therapeutic purposes rather than magical ones. While Ahiru was napping on the bed, he picked up his pen and began to scrawl, letting his brain lead his hand across the page however it wanted.

_Once upon a time, there was a beautiful prince. He was known for his kindness and bravery. Once he'd finally vanquished his timeless foe, the monstrous raven, he had a choice to make. He could accept the love of the raven's daughter, who'd sacrificed herself for him only after trying to steal all of the love in his heart. Or he could choose the beautiful princess who returned his heart and gave up her own humanity for his happiness._

_In the end, he chose the raven and lived happily ever after. But what of the kind princess? With a heavy heart, she returned to her form of a lowly duck, in the care of a former knight who was once the prince's ally. _

_The duck and the knight, their roles in the story now complete, went back to normal life, but were forever changed. The duck, who gracefully accepted the prince's choice, still lived with not having his heart that she worked tirelessly to restore. As she fought with her feelings, the knight remembered her human-self fondly._

_He watched daily as she would stare thoughtfully into space, a sad expression on her face. The knight took her to the lake often to swim, but she just paddled along like a puppet, lifeless. The only expression other than sorrow she showed in her blue eyes were the kind and friendly looks she'd give to the knight that watched over her…_

Fakir wrote and wrote, losing track of time as he went through page after page. Eventually it was an upside down face of a duck that jolted him back to reality. With a start, he jerked back and Ahiru, who had somehow ended up perched on his head looking down at him, fell head-first on the table.

"Quack!" she protested as a lump started to form on her head.

"It's your own fault! Don't sneak up on people like that. What's wrong with you?" Fakir retorted as his heartbeat returned to a decent speed. Ahiru huffed and pointed her wing towards the window. Turning to follow it, Fakir noticed that it was already dark outside. Had he really been writing that long? He sighed heavily, not looking forward to going to sleep that night. If only he could stay awake forever and avoid the frequent nightmare.

"I'm going out," he declared abruptly, slamming his journal closed and shoving it into a drawer as he stood.

"Qua-qack?" Ahiru cocked her head to the side. It was a bit late to go anywhere. Fakir managed to give her half a smile as he patted her head affectionately.

"I won't be long," he responded, and headed out the door. Curiously, Ahiru gazed at the chair where the knight spent most of his day, wondering what had caused his deep focus. He had been into his work before, but never like this. Surely it had to be important. Ahiru's gaze shifted to the drawer his work rested in.

_Well, only one way to find out._

* * *

Fakir walked until he arrived at the lake outside of town. It was the first time in a while he'd visited without his feathered companion. Not knowing what else to do, he kicked his shoes off and began to dance. For once, it seemed lonely dancing by himself. He rarely danced with a partner, but now felt like there was an emptiness inside him and beside him.

He remembered the last pas de deux he'd danced. He and Ahiru danced at the bottom of the Lake of Despair where he'd promised to always be by her side. Considering the circumstances, it wasn't the happiest memory, but it was one of the last times he saw her in human form.

As he began to spin, he remembered their first dance together. They had danced for the visiting dance company, when he still didn't trust Ahiru. He'd told her to stay away from Mytho; sometimes he wished she'd listened. Then her heart wouldn't have been broken. Then Fakir could've fulfilled the role for her that Mytho could not. But if she had listened, they probably wouldn't be as close as they were now.

Fakir danced and danced, amazed at how far they'd come. He'd almost hated her, he was sorry to admit. But somewhere along the way, he got used to her red hair always being in the corner of his vision. He'd gotten used to her clumsy antics and her subpar ballet dancing. He'd gotten used to her forgiving nature and her inability to hate anyone.

Leaping into a grand jeté, he decided that he had to accept reality. Now that fairy tales and reality were no longer blended, there was only the truth. He was still a lonely knight, and Ahiru was still a simple duck. His love didn't change her fate and it wouldn't change his.

With a tired sigh, Fakir wiped his face of sweat and tears; he couldn't let Ahiru see him in such a state. Somewhat more composed, he turned and paused, surprised by what he saw.

There in the dark stood Ahiru. Her wings were folded together, as if she were wringing her hands. Her vivid blue eyes held unshed tears, but he could see her beak resembled a smile. What could she be thinking? Did she see him?

"Ahiru…" Fakir began, but wasn't sure what to say next. Should he pretend things were fine? That everything was normal? What was normal anymore? The couple stared at each other for a moment; Ahiru was the first to move. She raised her wings above her head and made a circular motion with the tips of her feathers before extending one wing forward in an all too familiar gesture.

_Will you dance with me?_

Before Fakir had made up his mind, Ahiru had moved her wings and webbed feet into first position. She was ready. Barely able to control himself, Fakir mimicked her, then began to move. They encircled each other for a moment in relevé, then faced each other with an arabesque.

It wasn't as odd as the knight thought it would be with their height difference, and he'd seen Ahiru dance as a duck during the battle with the raven, though he was away writing it. He'd remembered how as he wrote her actions, he thought he could hear her voice, even as a duck. In this moment, as he lifted Ahiru's tiny body into a basic up-down lift, he swore he could hear it again.

_I'm sorry, Fakir. You always joke about it, but I really am an idiot. You knew that I still loved Mytho… that those stubborn feelings wouldn't leave my heart, even though I truly was happy for him and Rue-chan._

Fakir's eyes widened, but he didn't dare stop moving, lest her voice disappear. Mimicking her pirouettes, he watched as tears streamed down her feathered face.

_You'll probably be mad at me but… I read your story. It held all your sacred feelings in its words, though it never passed judgment or stated in plain words how you felt. It simply stated the facts and you were right: you alone have been by my side all this time and…_

The words stopped abruptly and Ahiru fell backwards from her pose, too overcome by tears to continue.

"Ahiru!" Fakir was quickly on his knees, picking up the weeping duck and holding her close to his chest. He realized he was crying again too and held her all the tighter.

_I'm sorry Fakir. You've put up with me for so long, even before now. I was clumsy, loud, stubborn and ignorant as a girl… probably more so as a duck. At least as Princess Tutu I was wiser and more graceful. And yet you were always there…you-_

"Idiot! I stayed beside you because I loved those sides of you. Tutu served her role in the story but, what made her was you. Your smile, your kindness, your selflessness; I even missed the clumsy, loud and stubborn you. Ahiru, as a simple knight I have nothing to offer you but… I love you." Through his tears he placed a kiss to the duck's forehead.

_I love you too, Fakir._ In her own way, she placed her bill to his cheek in a kiss.

Before Fakir could respond, the little duck in his arm began to tremble and glow; it was a small glimmer at first, but grew in intensity until it was nothing short of blinding. The body he held began to feel searing hot until he couldn't stand it. Before he could drop her, the silhouette of the glowing fowl leapt from his arms, flapping until it was a good few feet into the air.

Breathlessly, Fakir shielded his eyes with his hand as the yellow light engulfed Ahiru, leaving only the shadow of her body in the middle of the beam. He watched as the duck he knew began to lengthen and grow, looking more and more like a swan, but it didn't stop there.

The wings extended until they began to thin into arms and the feathers fanned into fingers. Her legs lengthened and webbed feet divided into individual toes. Her swan-like neck retreated to meet her body and flowing hair appeared and wove itself into a braid that proceeded to wrap around her head.

The light began to recede and Ahiru began to drift to the ground. Fakir hesitated to move as the human girl he hadn't seen in so long, except for in his dreams, drifted down like an angel. Unlike her other transformations, she was dressed in a simple white dress with white feathers encircling the sleeves and the hem, and white flats. The knight almost wasn't certain if it was the girl he once knew, but that one errant strand of hair stuck up from the rest of her neat hairstyle and her eyes opened to reveal the familiar crystal-blue eyes he'd fallen in love with.

Ahiru lifted her arms hesitantly, examining her long-forgotten fingers as she made them open and close, before her freckled face broke into a smile. "Fakir!' she screamed joyously. The paralyzed knight still wondered if he was dreaming, but was suddenly brought back to earth as the redhead barreled into him, knocking the both of them to the ground. As he let out a grunt, he knew it had to be real, if the aching buttocks was anything to go by. Still not trusting his voice, Fakir sent Ahiru a glare as she grinned bashfully on the ground in front of him.

"Sorry, sorry. But look! I'm a human!" By this point a vein in Fakir's forehead twitched.

"I can see that, idiot!" He'd nearly lost his sight seeing it! Once the adrenaline of the situation had worn off, Fakir crushed Ahiru to his chest once more, holding her tightly as if she'd disappear at any second. "Thank goodness," he murmured in her hair. Her slender arms wrapped around him in turn and they sat there for a while before Ahiru began to shiver. "Come on, let's go home."

* * *

"What did you do to my room?!" Upon returning to his room, Fakir came to find his desk chair knocked over and the drawer his story was in disconnected from the desk, lying upside on the floor. The story in question was also on the floor, with other stray papers scattered about. At some point, the ink on his desk had tipped and stained every other blank page.

The knight turned to look at Ahiru, who was staring at the ground with red cheeks, fiddling with her newly discovered fingers.

"Well-I-er… it's hard to open a drawer as a duck!" she screamed in defense. Fakir let his hand cover his face.

"That's why the story was in there," he stated plainly. He had said he missed this…didn't he?

"Right… well at least now I have hands to help you clean up!" She mentioned brightly, her freckled cheeks lifted in a smile. This time Fakir looked at Ahiru with a raised eyebrow.

"I don't think so. Go sit down somewhere. Now that you have hands, you'll probably manage to burn the place down." Ahiru's cheeks puffed out indignantly at his accusation. Fakir raised his eyebrow higher as her metaphorical feathers ruffled.

"Why you-!" The former duck's words were cut off as her knight grabbed her chin and gently pressed his lips to hers. When he pulled back, her face was redder and warmer than she could imagine. "…Maybe I'll just sit over here…" she murmured dumbly, as Fakir began to collect the scattered papers.

"Exactly."


End file.
